Preparation and degradability of novel cross-linked functional hydrogels from enzymatic synthesized α-1,3-glucan and its carboxymethyl derivative

In this research, we prepared novel hydrogels from enzymatically synthesized α-1,3-glucan and its carboxymethyl derivative by crosslinking with ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether. The resulting hydrogels were highly swellable and pH-sensitive with an enhanced, highly developed structure, and showed excellent protein/dye adsorption performances. Furthermore, the hydrogels had good biodegradability and could be degraded in soil extract solution. The prepared hydrogels have potential applications as green and environmentally-friendly adsorbents for the effective removal of organic dyes in printing and dyeing wastewater.